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  She was nice but not too nice, funny but not aiming to be the center of attention. Iris seemed like she was into Hudson, but was in no way fawning, and definitely seemed like she couldn’t give a shit about Galloway Manor or the wealth that obviously conferred. Best of all, she was smart, and unlike a lot of girls he knew, didn’t act dumb to seem cute, either knowing that intelligence was always more attractive, or simply not giving a crap either way.

  Even though he wanted time to get to know her alone, Hudson was glad the guys were there. Being alone with Iris would have been so awkward. And bouncing one-liners off of the guys made Hudson seem a lot funnier than he might have seemed if he was trying to entertain her on his own.

  She and Brian didn’t live too far from Herman’s, the general store where they met, a few blocks over and up. And Josh lived just down the street. After their short walk from Herman’s, they passed Brian and Iris’s, then parked themselves in Josh’s living room where Hudson felt himself feeling increasingly more at ease as they all joked around.

  Both Brian and Josh kept suggesting that they go to Brian’s, or back into Josh’s bedroom. Hudson got the distinct impression that each time they said “it’s about that time” meant something specific, but he had no idea what. They played some Grand Theft Auto V — Iris showed a surprising zeal for running over innocent bystanders — while Hudson tried to make conversation by telling his new friends about The Last of Us, and making the stupid mistake of telling them that he liked to play God of War with his father.

  Finally, Brian and Josh disappeared back into Josh’s room.

  Iris whispered, “They’re going to smoke pot.”

  “Oh.” Hudson didn’t know what else to say.

  “That’s a euphemism: It’s about that time. I like to think my parents aren’t dumb, but a few times a week my brother says, ‘It’s about that time,’ then he and Josh start grinning like idiots. A few minutes later the back of our house smells like a skate park.”

  “They do it with your parents’ home?”

  “Yup,” Iris nodded, her eyes on the screen as she stole a Banshee from an innocent citizen. “All the time.”

  “They have to know, don’t they?”

  “You’ve never met my parents.”

  Hudson laughed. “I think my parents used to do that … smoke weed.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah. We were at the park one time, and someone must have been smoking. The scent was familiar. I asked my mom what it was. She said, ‘barbecue.’ Sure enough, I smelled barbecue in their bedroom a few times after that.”

  “Your parents sound much cooler than mine.” Then, “What happened … to your mom?”

  Hudson felt a lump in his throat, not sure what to say. Earlier, he’d said she was dead because he didn’t feel like talking about what happened. But sitting here with Iris, he suddenly wanted to share his world.

  “Oh … I’m sorry.” She looked down. “You don’t have to tell me.”

  “No. It’s okay. I don’t know if she’s really dead. She disappeared earlier this year. Went on this trip and never came back. Police found the car, but no sign of her.”

  “Oh my God.” Iris paused the game and put a hand on his, resting on Hudson’s leg.

  His heart raced. He wanted to hold her. Wanted to kiss her. Wanted to be with her. He wondered if it was wrong to be so turned on while talking about something so incredibly sad.

  “She could still be alive, right?”

  “I dunno,” Hudson said, trying not to play up his emotions. He wasn’t going to turn into his sister and start trading drama for attention. He wanted Iris to like him because of him, not because he was this sad kid who lost his mother. “My dad is looking for her, so who knows?”

  Her hand stayed in his, and he tried not to act like he was noticing. This was the longest any girl outside of family had ever touched him, and he could feel his heart racing. He wondered if Iris could tell.

  He looked at the TV because he couldn’t look directly at Iris while they were talking about his mom; otherwise, he might actually tear up.

  A long moment of silence passed where he wondered what to say. Finally, he said, “Can we not talk about it?”

  Iris pulled her hand away and looked down, “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

  You dumbass! Now you scared her away!

  “No, no, it’s okay. It’s just hard to talk about. You all are the first people I’ve met here, and I don’t wanna bum you out, ya know?”

  “Okay,” Iris said, returning her eyes to the game.

  He felt stupid through the next few minutes, trying to think of something clever to say, hoping he hadn’t blown a good thing.

  I should’ve just kept talking about Mom. Now I look like a jerk. Now she’ll never hold my hand again.

  After a quarter hour or so, Josh and Brian emerged from Josh’s room, smelling like weed.

  Brian said, “We’re gonna go see Dry Heat. You guys wanna come?”

  Iris looked at Hudson. “Wanna go?”

  He shook his head. “I just left the house. I didn’t grab my wallet, so I don’t have any money.”

  Josh said, “You don’t need money,” as if it was Hudson was crazy to even suggest it.

  “Huh?” Hudson said, “Are the movies free here?”

  Everyone laughed.

  Brian explained: “No, man. We go in through the back doors. Our friend, Nick Cook, works there and doesn’t give a shit.”

  “Do you wanna go?” Hudson asked Iris.

  She shrugged.

  He turned back to Brian. “I’ve already seen it.”

  “You’ve seen Dry Heat?” Brian seemed surprised. “But it just came out.”

  “Yeah, but it’s the same plot as To Live and Die in L.A. How different can it be?” Hudson echoed Carter’s words, hoping to sound half as cool as he thought he might.

  “We’ll stay,” Iris said, smiling at Hudson. “But thanks for the offer. She turned to her game as her brother hedged at the door, looking over at Josh.

  “You sure?” Josh asked. “It’s supposed to be really good.”

  “To Live and Die in L.A. is awesome.” Hudson worked hard to keep himself from laughing, hoping he didn’t cross the line from funny to being an arrogant jerk.

  “Okay,” Brian shrugged. “Whatever. We’re going out. We’ll be back. You all can hang here, right, Josh?”

  “Yeah,” Josh said. “My parents are in the Bahamas for the week.”

  “Cool,” Hudson said as they headed out the door, leaving him alone with Iris.

  His stomach started doing flips again as he tried not to overthink stuff.

  Just sit down and play games with her and be yourself. It’s working so far. Don’t blow it.

  “That was cool,” Iris said after a while. “What you said about To Live and Die in L.A. Is that true?”

  “Not sure,” Hudson shrugged. “This guy named Carter said the same thing a few hours ago.”

  Iris laughed. “Who’s Carter?”

  “He’s like the butler at Galloway Manor.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. He’s worked there forever, like his father’s father before him and shit.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wow.”

  “Yeah …”

  “So, what’s that like?”

  “Living in Wayne Manor?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It would be cooler if there was a Batcave, or ghosts.”

  “So, you haven’t seen anything?”

  “Nope,” Hudson shook his head. “Unless you count the stupid shit my crazy sister makes up.”

  “Your sister’s crazy?”

  “Actually, no. She’s attention-seeking. Big difference.”

  Iris opened her mouth, then closed it. After a moment she said, “So, do you like old movies?”

  “Not as much as new ones.”

  “Ah, I thought you might be one of those guys: Black and white is better!”

 
; “No, not at all. I don’t go much further back than The Matrix, actually.”

  “Wow, really?”

  Hudson laughed again. “No. I like a lot of movies from the eighties. My dad made me watch a bunch until I finally cried mercy and started to like them.”

  “Me, too! I think I’ve seen everything made in the eighties.”

  “There was a lot of crap in the eighties. No way you’ve seen it all.”

  “Okay, not all of it, but I have seen a ton.”

  “What’s your favorite?”

  “You first.” Iris smiled, and Hudson wanted to taste her.

  “Are we going for favorite as in the best of the bad, or something we genuinely like?”

  She shrugged. “Whatever you want.”

  “Well, my favorite is Goonies.”

  “Great choice!”

  “Yeah, Goonies is awesome. I thought it looked dumb when my dad first made me watch it. But I was being a jerk. I’ve seen it like fifteen times now. How about yours?”

  “Beastmaster,” she laughed. “Have you seen it?”

  “Yes … but is that your serious pick, or something so bad it’s awesome?”

  “Oh, I’m totally serious.”

  “Why? Beastmaster is terrible!”

  “Terribly awesome!” she laughed.

  “Explain yourself!”

  She paused the game, set her controller down, and folded one leg under her other as she turned to face Hudson on the couch. “You’re being too hard on it. It’s a stupid swords and wizard flick, but it kicks Conan’s ass because it doesn’t take itself seriously. There’s an evil priest, the sacrifice of an unborn son, a prophecy, a hunky dude who talks to animals, a hot slave girl, a hawk, two ferrets, and a black panther! It’s the perfect eighties movie!”

  Hudson wanted to make a move, and felt time thinning. Josh and Brian might be gone for a while at the movies, but he would have to go home before too long. He was already in a world of trouble for leaving in a huff and didn’t want to turn that world into a universe.

  As Iris went off on a tangent about movies today, Hudson could hardly concentrate. Between trying to read her signals, and looking at her beautiful face while trying not to get caught looking at her cleavage whenever she leaned forward, he felt like he was trying to spin plates on a circus high wire, over an ocean of lava, with sharks — exploding sharks.

  The way she was turned on the couch, toward him, then tucked her hair behind her ears when he did, he thought she might be sending him signals to do something, but Hudson couldn’t be certain. He’d never had a girl flirt with him, so he couldn’t tell if the way she looked away then back at him, or the giggling, or frequent touching of his hand or knee was actually flirting or not.

  Like a wimp, Hudson kept hoping she’d make the first move, but after a while realized that as cool as Iris was, that wasn’t going to happen. His hands were curious, and longed for her body to answer his questions. He grazed her skin with his eyes, deciding where he would touch her first, deciding to steer clear from her breasts unless invited. But as he thought about touching her breasts, he suddenly realized that he’d been staring at them longer intended.

  He looked up and met her eyes, staring at his.

  Busted!

  She burst out laughing. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

  “What?” Hudson said, as if he didn’t know, and felt his face burn with embarrassment. He lowered his gaze, hiding beneath his hair.

  Iris lowered her head, peering beneath the shelter and smiled at him.

  He looked back up, meeting her eyes.

  “Are you going to kiss me or what?”

  His heart couldn’t have raced faster if it were strapped with rockets and blasting into space.

  He’d never kissed a girl. He wasn’t even sure he knew how.

  What if I’m bad? What if I make an idiot of myself?

  Time seemed to stretch like a band, and with it came the realization that he was pausing too damned long after a beautiful girl’s request for a kiss.

  Do it, dummy! Do it now.

  He did: Hudson held her eyes, leaned in, paused as their faces were an inch apart but not touching, then waited for Iris to meet him.

  Their lips brushed, then smashed together. Her hair, or maybe it was her skin, smelled sweet, a scent he’d never inhaled before now, and now didn’t know how he’d lived so long without.

  He kissed her hard, harder than he meant, then pulled away.

  “You’re so beautiful.” He stared into her eyes, feeling stupid but meaning it so much that he wanted to say it again.

  Iris kissed him back, just as hard.

  After another minute of swimming tongues, he pulled back again. “I’m going to have to go soon. My dad’ll come looking.”

  Hudson wasn’t sure why he said it, other than being exactly that awkward.

  “Then stop wasting time.”

  She pulled him down onto the couch, on top of her soft body. Hudson slowed, kissing her softer, slipping his tongue between her lips while trying not to slobber. How much tongue was too much? How hard a kiss was too hard? How soft was too soft? Where the hell did one go to learn these things? She tangled her fingers into his hair and pulled his face harder against her. He lost his breath and had to pull away again, this time panting.

  She said, “You’re excited.”

  “Yeah.” Hudson drew a breath, then returned to her mouth, lightly tugging her lower lip with his teeth and running the tip of his tongue over the top.

  His hands found her breasts as she gently nibbled at his mouth. He knew what he wanted, of course, but had no idea if she wanted the same thing. If he was reading her wrong — which was entirely possible, he was a stupid fifteen-year-old kid after all — he’d be embarrassed enough to leave Clovis Point for eternity, plus Josh and Brian would probably both want to kick his ass.

  If right, Hudson would return home no longer a virgin.

  He kissed Iris more firmly and pressed his body harder against hers. She pushed right back and — Hudson was reasonably certain — she was giving him permission to do what he couldn’t stop thinking about.

  He slipped his hand under her shirt, then her bra, hoping she wouldn’t protest. He’d see where things went after that. She moaned, inviting him to do more, so Hudson reached back, unfastened her bra, and readied himself for the rest of his life to improve.

  And then, just as the surreal moment of pleasure promised to get even better, the sound of thunder brought the show to a stop — a loud pounding on the front door.

  Iris pushed Hudson off of her.

  He crashed to the floor.

  “Is that your parents?” he asked, even though they weren’t at her house.

  “I dunno.” Iris was up from the couch, adjusting herself. “Quick — go to the kitchen!”

  Hudson was inches from panic. He felt as if he’d crashed into a brick wall going downhill on his bike. He had gone from soaring from the edge of eruption to trembling in the kitchen like a cat coming in from the rain.

  “Hello?” Hudson heard Iris answer the door. A one-second pause, then … his father’s voice.

  Dad?

  “Yes, hello. My name is Scott Dawson. I’m looking for my son, Hudson. Is your name Iris?”

  Both Dad’s question and her yes made it feel like Hudson’s heart would burst into chunky nuggets.

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  “Do you know my son, Hudson?”

  He wanted to ignore it, but didn’t know how bad things might get. Dad had a way of playing like he knew less than he did, and if that’s what was happening and Hudson didn’t get in front of it, he could go from bad to the worst trouble of his life. If he was cool, he might be able to put this behind him, turn it into a funny memory, like the time he got caught going to the beach when he was supposed to be at his friend Ronald Gorman’s. Dad was furious when he found out, but laughing two weeks later.

  Yeah, but back then Mom was there to calm him down.
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  “I’m here, Dad!” Hudson called from the kitchen.

  He grabbed a full glass of water from the counter — he had no idea whose it was, how long it had been there, or if it was really water, but figured it was the best prop in reach — then went into the front room pretending to sip as if he’d just poured the glass a moment before.

  Dad peered through the screen. “Hudson.”

  Iris opened the door wider, then impressed Hudson by taking perfect control of the situation.

  “Sorry about that, Mr. Dawson. Me, my brother, and his friend, Josh, just met Hudson over at Herman’s a couple of hours ago. We invited him to our place, figuring anyone who had just moved to Clovis Point would probably be looking for a new friend. We played games for a while — Hudson said you guys liked to play God of War together — but then my brother and Josh wanted to go see Dry Heat.” She nodded at Hudson. “He wanted a glass of water before going home. You knocked while he was in the kitchen. Now you know the rest of the story.” Iris smiled awkwardly, as if realizing how she’d sounded guilty as hell with such an elaborate explanation for such mundane events.

  “Uh huh.” His dad grinned, looking surprisingly calm. He looked from Hudson to Iris then back. “It’s nice to meet you, Iris. Come on, Hudson. Let’s go.”

  Hudson smiled awkwardly at Iris. “So, I’ll see you around.”

  “See ya later.” Iris smiled in a way that promised more, then turned to his father. “Thanks for coming to get him. How did you know we were here?”

  “I didn’t. The guy at Herman’s said I should look here.” He turned to Hudson. “I’ll let you two say goodbye; I’ll be waiting outside.”

  Hudson felt a million feelings coursing through him at once: embarrassment, relief that his dad didn’t freak out, anger that he’d interrupted his one shot at getting laid, and — then, as he looked at Iris — messed up the closest thing he’d ever felt to love.

  It was hard for Hudson to meet her eyes, but at the same time, he needed to see her, not knowing when he might ever again. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. Hold on a sec, okay?”

  “Okay,” he said, pacing as she ran into the kitchen, hoping his father wouldn’t get pissed at the delay.